How many bugs per night do bats eat?

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Did you know that it was illegal to kill bats? It’s also illegal to move them at certain points of the year in some states too. This might seem a little odd to you, but some bats are protected around the United States of America, and this is because they are super awesome creatures. Let us tell you why …



Bats eat bugs. A lot of them. If it weren’t for bats, the bugs flying around us would be so plentiful, going outside when they were out in full force would be almost impossible. Bats do us a favor, as much as they can be a total pain in the backside at the same time, and they help to keep the population of various insect populations down. Just imagine how often you would get bitten outside if it weren’t for these flying critters.

The majority of bats around the world, and particularly those in the US, eat insects. Their diets are mostly made up of insects. Most colonies are made up of hundreds of bats, and these can put a serious dent in the insect population. Just one bat alone can eat between 1,000 and 1,500 insects every hour that they are out hunting at night. These will be bugs about the same size as a mosquito. If that’s 1,000 bugs every hour, we’re looking at between 6,000 and 8,000 bugs each night, PER bat. If there are 100 bats in a colony, they have the potential to mow down 16,000 to 18,000 bugs in one night. We’re sure that makes your back garden a much happier place to be, especially when the lights go down and the bugs come out!

For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How much does bat removal cost? - get the lowdown on prices.
How to get rid of bats - my main bat removal info guide.
Example bat removal photographs - get do-it-yourself ideas.
Bat job blog - learn from great examples of bat jobs I've done.
How to get bats out of your attic - learn how to remove bats in your home.